Police officer smashes wife’s phone in dispute over birth certificates

By Danisa Masuku

A police officer who was fighting to be granted the custody of her two children lost the appeal and later on her former husband smashed her cellphone on the ground after she refused to surrender birth certificates of their two children.

This incident happened last week on Tuesday in full view of members of the public.

While Florence Ngulube (27), a police officer stationed at ZRP Queens Park, and her ex-husband Johane Mupande (38), a soldier stationed at Imbizo Barracks — were walking from Bulawayo Tredgold magistrates’ courts along Leopold Takawira Avenue her ex-husband demanded birth certificates of their two children.

As a result an argument arose between the pair. The court heard Ngulube refused to surrender the birth certificates.

It took the intervention of a ZRP officer who was on patrol to calm down tempers that had reached fever pitch, a court heard.

They were taken to Bulawayo Central Police Station.

Mupande appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Stephen Ndlovu facing a charge of malicious damage to property.

In his defence Mupande said he was angered by Ngulube.

“Your Worship, I feel guilty for my unbecoming behaviour. I was angered by my former wife who refused to give me birth certificates of our two children. Her phone fell accidentally on the ground and I had no intention of damaging it,”he said.

His former wife said: “He slapped me on the face while demanding the certificates. He then took my Itel P 12 cellphone and smashed it on the ground. What shocked me is that I had explained that I left the documents at home but he could not accept my explanation.”

He was remanded out of custody to next week on Monday. B Metro